ME joins the queue as Boeing focuses on fixing production issues

Middle East airlines face continued delays in deliveries of Boeing aircraft as the US company grapples with the problems that led to the loss of a door plug on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 in January.

The company says that its production philosophy is changing from prioritising getting aircraft out of the factory door, to a focus on fixing gaps that had appeared in its quality system after the pandemic.

Prior to the Farnborough Air Show, company executives faced an audience of international journalists at its Seattle home as they attempted to explain what it is doing to eliminate the problems in its production lines.

Boeing has come under fire for months over delays in deliveries of its aircraft (Airbus has experienced similar problems, but not to the same degree as Boeing).

Middle East airline chiefs have complained about the delays to Boeing aircraft affecting their growth plans – none more so than Emirates’ president Sir Tim Clark, who has made increasingly sharp comments on the lack of visibility over deliveries of Boeing’s new-generation 777X widebodies.

Clark has made it clear that Boeing has to get back to basics, rapidly find answers to its problems and has warned that the US manufacturer is drinking in the last-chance saloon when it comes to disappointing major customers such as Emirates.

Boeing, still recovering from the crash of two 737 MAX aircraft belonging to Indonesia’s Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines in 2018 and 2019 respectively, was rocked by the loss of a door plug shortly after Alaska Air flight AS1282 took off from Seattle’s SeaTac Airport on January 5.

It quickly became known that the cause of the incident, which miraculously resulted in no fatalities, was a lack of retaining bolts on the door plug, which covered an emergency exit that was not required on that particular model of 737.

The plug had been removed by personnel at Boeing’s Renton factory to fix a fault that had not been picked up at the Wichita factory of fuselage subcontractor Spirit Aerosystems. When the fault had been fixed, the plug was replaced … but without three of the four required retaining bolts. The door eventually worked loose before blowing off over Seattle.

The incident has galvanised Boeing into a root-and-branch review of its procedures, quality control and training.

An overhaul was already under way before the accident, but has been widened. This was partly through a recognition that many new staff with little or no experience of aviation have been hired post-pandemic.

However, while ‘foundational training’ to give new staff basic levels of skills had been addressed, “What I think we didn’t realise at the time was that we also needed to enhance ‘on-the-job’ training,” said vice-president for safety, Elizabeth Lund. Trainees are now paired up with more experienced staff on the factory floor.

And, rather than waiting until fuselages arrive at Renton from Spirit before checking them for defects, that checking process now takes place – with increased Boeing oversight – in Wichita.

All these measures, however, have taken a toll on aircraft production rates. Boeing was until recently building 38 737 MAXs a month, together with 10 787s. The company is currently assembling around 18-20 737s and just five 787s.

This means more delays in deliveries to already irritated customers. During the briefing session, a 737 and 787 for Oman Air could be seen on the Renton assembly line and the Everett flightline respectively. Whether they will meet their previously-announced delivery slots remains to be seen.

However, the emphasis has understandably now changed, said Katie Ringgold, Boeing’s VP and general manager for the 737 programme: “My focus is not on rate. I’ve told my customers that, I’ve told our employees that.”

It seems as though Middle Eastern airlines may find themselves waiting even longer for their aircraft.